Synchronicity of Our Hearts
by AtlantianLights
Summary: (Based on Hitoshizuku-P's Synchronicity Series, this is my way of fleshing out a few things and trying to tell it in my own way. Told in many character's POVs.) Tessa, Mikuko, Luke, Luciana, Rin, Len, Kyle, and Maci... How do all these names fit together?
1. The Beginning

Long ago, in a land far, far away from here, there lived a set of heroes whose names have been lost to time. The land was known as Argonia, and it too has been lost to the ages. All that remain are scattered ruins and my memories.

My name is Mikuko. I was born to a noble family in the court of the king of Argonia. We had been in the service of the Megurio family for generations, as long as anyone in our family could remember. My mother was the head lady-in-waiting to the queen, Lady Anabella. My father, the leader of all the knights of Argonia, was the king's right-hand man.

In our land, the king was also the head of the church. When I was born, it is said that he himself baptized me in the water of the fairy spring. From my childhood, I was known throughout the lands as the lovely maiden with azure hair. More people knew me by that title than my name. But even more well-known than I was the king's daughter herself. No commoner had seen her since the day she was born. She was said to be even lovelier than I, with hair the color of her fair cheeks.

I grew up healthy and beautiful. At the time, the land was at peace and all seemed right with the world. Our uneasy truce with the evil that slept in the far-off Talean Mountains seemed nothing but a fairy tale to my young ears. I remember perfectly the day that everything changed.

My mother had me running errands for her and the queen and meeting suitors in my spare moments. Men thronged to ask for my hand in marriage. However, I had no interest in them. I spent as much time as possible waiting on my prince. King Edgar had promised me a bright future with his son, Luke, and I wanted nothing more than to marry him. But I was a fool. If only I had seen then what I see now, maybe the things that happened to us could have been avoided.

I don't remember well the events that led up to my capture, but I do remember that in the fall of my fifteenth year, I laid eyes on Vermilion Castle for the last time. Blindfolded, gagged, and tied up. I was on the back of a horse, and the man behind me was the only thing keeping me on. It felt like we traveled for years, when in reality, it had only been weeks. My mind tried to shut out everything that it could, and I went into a blank state. Eat, dress, sleep, do it all over again.

I slept as much as I could on the journey, though I wasn't very comfortable riding astride for the first time in my pampered life. I was awoken at last by my gag and blindfold being removed, though I remained tied fast to the horse. They usually forced me to ride with them on to prevent me from knowing where we were going. Today's companion was a tall and lithe man, one who had travelled with me several times before, though I never had seen his face. A rough whisper in my ear had me turning to my captor: my young love, Prince Luke.

My entire being sank with this revelation. I had spent the whole journey pretending that the voice I had heard shouting to the other men in the relatively small troop was not one I recognized. I'd known I was wrong in the back of my mind; I had long before memorized the sound of my prince's voice. I gathered my wits and steeled myself, sure that questioning him would get me nowhere, and took a look at my surroundings. We were far into the mountains, of that I was sure. We were deep into a gorge with walls looming on both sides, limiting my view of the empty road behind us, the sky above, and the long line of horses in front of us.

They never bound or gagged me again after that, but still I wouldn't speak. They were oddly civilized. They never bothered me while sleeping or changing. Not one inappropriate action was taken. Of course, I was used to this kind of respect and had no idea that they would not afford most women this privilege. The only one who made any move to associate with me was Luke, and I refused him. He was the leader of a company of ten or so men who had kidnapped me and one other girl from the king's court. My broken heart screamed out for me to demand redemption from him. But my pride wouldn't let me, and soon my voice grew hoarse from disuse. The only time I did speak was when I was alone. This was when I bathed or changed, and I would try to sing a few notes as I used to just for him.

Soon this too ceased, and I was left with no voice left and a mind slowly going mad. The days blurred as we delved further and further into the mountains and my paranoia grew. What were they planning to do with us? Always they kept Tessa, the other girl, and I separate, though I could hear her laughter and singing from across the camp at times. She was beautiful. That I knew from the memories of growing up with her and the limited glimpses I got of her now. Her long hair stayed beautiful no matter that she hadn't cut it in weeks, and it curled in long, spiraling ringlets. Sometimes she tied it up in two twin ponytails that would bounce as she rode. She was now allowed her own horse, while I was always forced to ride with the prince. And still I did not know where we were going.

The day came when we finally arrived. The towering sides of the never-ending gorge had finally circled around, and we appeared to be at a dead end. Above us rose the towering spires of a temple built into the ominously glowing blue rock. The horses came to a stop at the base of the blue rock, and all was silent for a long while. Stairs that led to the top, far above our heads, lay dead ahead. Luke urged our horse forward, clearing all the other men. He signaled to Tessa, and she rode forward obediently. Finally I got a clear look at her, and I could see my own fear reflected in her cinnamon eyes. We stopped near the base of the stairs, and he swung down easily from our speckled stallion. I released my hold on the reigns as I felt his hand at my corseted waist and allowed him to bring me to the ground. Of course I stumbled as he set me down, and I ended up in his embrace one last time. His easy smirk made my heart ache as I turned away from him. Better to be angry at him and alone than a fool and have his company.

And still no one said a word. Silence was familiar to me by now, but I was almost ready to burst forth with a scream. Luke's eyes reflected anger and reproach, and he turned away from me without a word, starting up the steps in the gloom. The sun did not reach here, and the only light was what reflected off the distant crags and peaks. Tessa was the first to follow him, though the men behind us made no moves at all. She had more courage than I. I remember glancing back at them, hoping for some sort of reassurance from the men I'd grown to trust. I knew them all by name at the time, though now I can't remember any of them.

Tessa called my name, standing before the first step and holding out a pale hand for me to take. I took a step forward, unsure, but she smiled at me so warmly that I forgot my fear momentarily. I ran forward, slipping my hand into hers. We took the first step together, eyes shut tight as we held our breath. The silence was broken with a sudden BANG; my eyes flew open to see torches lighting themselves all throughout the great valley. Halfway up the first set of steps, Luke turned back to look at us, shock written on his own face. He hadn't expected this, not at all.

The climb was long and hard, but Tessa and I did it together. Luke was always ahead of us, always leading us. When we reached the top, we were rewarded with a gorgeous sight. The gorge gave way directly in front of us to a cliff. The whole platform in the rock was circular, with towering spires around the edges that slowly bent until they all converged in the middle, forming a sort of framework for a dome. Everything was lit in the glow of the luminescent rocks, and had a beautiful, albeit eerie quality. I stumbled over to the cliff face, Luke's arm automatically restraining me, as though I might throw myself off the edge. The drop seemed to go on forever and ever. I could hardly see the bottom through my sudden dizziness, and I stumbled back into his arms with a soft sound of fear. It was the first time he had heard me utter a single sound in weeks.

Tessa took her time in looking over the edge, much more level-headed than I could have ever hoped to be. When she returned, her eyes were troubled, and she wouldn't look at me. We followed Luke's orders. What choice did we have? He had us kneel in the center of the platform, skirts spread out and jumbled together. I should have known we would be arriving that day; that morning, he'd had us dress in the finest dresses I had ever seen.

Once again, silence seemed to fill the air, so thick I was nearly choking on it. I wish it could have lasted forever, that deafening silence. Maybe I'd still have Tessa if it had. But nothing does last forever, and I was about to learn that. Happiness, love, life, hope: It's all fleeting. For me, the end was the sound of wings beating like thunder, a roar that echoed from the Talean Mountains to the glittering sea of the merfolk in the far west. There, my happiness ended, and my greatest sorrow began.


	2. Thunder

**(Unfortunately there was no beta-ing for this chapter, so I apologize for any mistakes in grammar or spelling I made.)**

The sound was so loud, so sudden, that I nearly screamed in shock. Everything around me shook with the sound of it and my vision blurred again. I covered my ears with my hands, trying desperately to block out the ringing as the next wave came. Tessa was, oddly, a bit more composed, although she too was covering her ears. I couldn't lift my head enough to seek out Luke.

In each gap between the last deafening clap and the next, my mind raced to regain the fragments of what might have been coherent thoughts, but then another would come and I'd start all over. I shut my eyes, hoping against hope that somehow it would stop. If I had been paying attention, I would have recognized that it was slowly getting closer, but I did not.

Wind was beating down on us with each and every flap, crushing us under the weight of it. Finally ending our torture, the loudest sound yet crashed through us, nearly knocking me out of my kneeling position. The deafening sound of the thunder-like wings finally stopped as the beast landed, folding in its leathery wings effortlessly. His claws scraped against the rock as he settled down. The sheer weight of the creature shook the entire valley, and my eyes flew open as I struggled to retain my balance.

I automatically wished that I hadn't opened my eyes. The glowing yellow eyes that were now piercing me were filled with malice and a deep hate. The dragon flicked its vision from me, to Tessa, and then to Luke. Everything was now silent again save for the sound of my racing heart and the breathing of the scaled creature. I couldn't bear to keep my head up under its gaze. It seemed like we sat there for the longest time as my mind raced. Why wasn't it devouring us like the dragons of legend? Why wasn't anyone attacking it or trying to save us?

Tessa was stunned into the same silence as I, and the only move she made was to reach over and take my hand. I am sure that she also thought that we were destined for a terrible death at the dragon's claws. Time slowly passed and not a single thing seemed to be happening. After the longest time, I could take no more, and I lifted my eyes once more. Those yellow eyes met mine and burned me, wiping my mind blank. I couldn't think or move of my own free will, there was only those eyes.

And then a change happened before my very eyes. As the sun set over the horizon and the valley was plunged into the pitch black that I had come to know as night here, I regained consciousness. In the next moment, I very well could have still been trapped in my own mind as the platform became encased in light, blinding and shielding us from the eyes of the onlookers far below us. The dragon disappeared into it with a roar that shook me to my core. I wasn't even aware of Tessa and Luke anymore, there was only us. I stared without blinking as the light spun around us, the framework of the dome having become the only thing that reminded me of where I was. The light spun around and around, slowly gathering speed and intensity.

Wind picked up and lifted my skirts, twirling around me and pushing me around almost playfully. Fear was forgotten… Those eyes had pierced me and affected me, making me forget myself and who I used to be. My days in the castle belonged in the past. They seemed like distant memories of someone else's life. Now there was only the present and the joy that this ethereal light seemed to bring. My mind was slowly being wiped of its essence. I would become someone else, someone ruthless, soon. The light that had gathered around the dragon and shielded it from our view suddenly burst with a shower of sparks, blinding us all for several minutes. We couldn't see it or anything else, for that matter.

The only thing I could focus on was my dress. It was dark black with accents of blue and red, and it managed to distract me long enough for me to focus. I lifted my eyes to search for the creature, but it was nowhere to be found. I stumbled forward, almost crying out in despair. We were sure to die now… It had caught us in its trap. Never mind the fact that Luke and his troop of soldiers had brought us here, I didn't care anymore. My voice, lost to my inner madness and depression, rang forth finally, hoarseness gone as I shrieked out in anger and sadness. I didn't want to die here, not in this place. I was surrounded by beauty and all I could think about was death.

The light was too bright for my mortal eyes, and I stumbled forward blindly, trying desperately to find something, anything to hold on to, hide behind. I took only a few steps before SMACK, I ran into a firm chest. I thrashed and struggled as arms wrapped around me. They were arms that were meant to restrain and protect. arms that radiated pride and possessiveness. I was confused by this, though. Wasn't Luke still standing behind me, stunned by the radiance of the brilliant light? And hadn't I stumbled into the same area where the dragon had been before. I would have heard it fly away or get up and move, so where was it?

The grip on my wrist was stout and firm, and the man led me forward, returning me to my previous position as though I was a naughty child. He didn't release me, and finally I had the courage to look at my captor. Dark hair and piercing yellow eyes, a towering height and pale skin were what made him up. He had scales around his eyes that shimmered in the light and a predatory look about him. I knew immediately who he was, but I didn't know how it could be possible. Dragons were towering scaly beasts that breathed fire and were slain by brave heroes and knights in shining armor. They were not handsome men who looked as though they wished nothing more than to possess you and force you to tell them your deepest secrets.

I had been blind to Tessa and Luke the entire time this had been going on. Their eyes were wild and filled with fear, and Luke was looking at me incredulously. I tried to get him to understand that I didn't have much free will at the moment. I was being held captive by a dragon. A handsome dragon, but still, a dragon. And finally he spoke. The sound was poetic and had a raspy quality to it. He said one thing, and one only, looking at Tessa.

"Sing."

Her cinnamon eyes were filled with daring and defiance and her lips parted uneasily. She glanced back at Luke, who nodded. I knew deep inside that Luke was aware of what was to happen here. He was the one who had conducted this whole expedition and brought us to face this creature. We were his puppets, and I hated him for it. Fickle love be damned, I wouldn't look at him again after that. Tessa captured my attention soon after, inhaling deeply before opening her pale lips. A sweet and soft note rang out as she began, singing as she had all those mornings as we had traveled. She started with a gentle lullaby, building slowly as she increased the quality of her tone and her volume. She sang of the ocean and the breeze and the trees, and she made my heart ache for freedom from this place. When she finished, silence reigned. My fluttering heart and breaths paired with the man holding me were all I could hear.

"Good," came his low voice in my ear. "Very good." He turned to Luke, piercing the prince with his powerful golden gaze. "She shall be the Diva. This one shall be the Guardian. Take her," he paused to point to Tessa, who was recovering her breath from her long song. "and prepare her for her role. I shall take care of this one."

By his continued tight grip on my corseted waist, I knew he meant me. I turned to look one last time at Tessa, scared I wouldn't see her again, and caught a glimpse of Luke. At the end of the dragon's words, he opened his mouth as if to protest, gaze locked on me, but my captor cut him off abruptly.

"No. You will take the Diva. Now go, before I change my mind!"

The last part was almost growled, and it made me tremble a bit. Human form or not, this man was still a dragon. Luke turned away from us, refusing to meet the man's imperious stare. Even a prince had no power here. He held out his hand for Tessa to take, which she did, and together they descended from the platform, leaving me alone with the dragon and the night wind. His breath was hot on my neck and left me feeling nervous, and I tried not to look at him as I watched the light swirling around us. Tessa and Luke had passed through without incident, so apparently it wasn't in place to keep us trapped. At least not from the inside, I thought. Once you were out, it might be hard to get back in. The hand at my wrist seemed reluctant to leave, though it did at last, only to join the other at my waist. He was a seemingly normal man, if you didn't count the scales that lined the outsides of his amber eyes.

He turned me around to face him, and I was caught by his eyes again. In this form they were less intimidating and warmer. They didn't seem as filled with hate or lust for blood. In fact, they were smoldering, and I began to lose myself in them again. Why was I there, again? Who here was my enemy? Was I really in danger? I was pulled tight against him, unable to escape, and I didn't even notice when his hands slipped from their spot at my waist. I was frozen by the power of his eyes. I realize now that it was a certain talent of his, one I'd soon learn to overcome. Before I knew it, he had slipped his hand into the pocket of his waistcoat and brought out a simple little thing. It should have been trivial, but it came to mean so much to us in the end. The silver mask was beautiful. It shone in the light from the barrier and the torches. The eye spots were pitch black and no light seemed to shine through them. Before I knew what was going on, he had placed it on my pale cheeks; it was a perfect fit.

Each time I met his gaze, more and more of my memories disappeared. Who was my mother, again? Where did I live before I came to these mountains? What were the mountains called, anyway? I couldn't recall, and when the mask was finally in place, all my memories vanished. Suddenly there was only this moment, this now, with him. Was he a dragon? Did that really matter? He pulled me close again, knowing the effect that his gift had on me. My heart fluttered at his touch, something that would have caused the old me to be filled with fear. Now my entirety was the wish to serve him, guard him, protect him. No matter about myself, I did not matter.

He whispered roughly in my ear, lips brushing against the tender flesh carelessly, as though this wouldn't be the height of folly in my old home. "Hello, Mikuko… Welcome. This will be… your new home." He paused to brush my hair out-of-the-way, his smooth hand pausing a moment at my temple. "I hope you like it here. You may call me… Roran. We'll get to know each other well, soon enough…"

I met his eyes through the black material of the mask. Little did I know, the mask would become my face for everyone but him. He could see right through the material covering my blue eyes. Gold flecks were beginning to appear in the icy blue, the same color as his molten gold eyes. He smiled then, a predatory sort of look that set my blood on fire. I felt my cheeks heat under the mask, my body betraying me. His hand slid down to grasp my chin and he pulled me closer, eyes examining me like I was something foreign and strange. I swallowed nervously, prompting him to cup my chin in his large hand and hold me in place as he pressed his lips to mine. They were soft and hot, and they covered mine perfectly. I was light-headed when he pulled away, my memories trying desperately to rebel against his power.

I scrambled for a moment to put myself back together. In that time, he made a seemingly innocent motion with his hand, and clasped them together. Then he drew them apart as though expanding something, and he looked at it approvingly before offering it to me. It was an intricately carved staff of some mysterious white metal, curving around to let little metal rings hang from each side. I looked at it curiously and he pressed it into my gloved hand. Then he examined my long azure hair, falling down my back in one sheet, and tsk'd. It was a funny sound for a dragon to make, and I laughed gently. He gave me a reprimanding look that had me backing off quickly, falling silent as I watched him carefully. He did the expanding motion again, this time producing a hairbrush, mirror, ribbons, and hair-ties. Obviously this was magic. The gilded brush and mirror were of silver, were quite pretty. They had dragons carved into the handles, something I did not miss.

He pulled me to the smooth stone floor with him, my back resting against his chest for mere seconds before he spoke to me softly. "Sit up, Mikuko. Back straight, please." I did as I was told, eyes wide since I couldn't see him behind me. I heard him pick up the hairbrush, and the next second I felt him begin to brush gently through my hair. Had I been myself, I would have wondered why a dragon was brushing my hair. Instead I sat there staring off into the light barrier with a vaguely blank look on my features, enjoying the feeling of the brush tickling my scalp as he styled it. Eventually he split it into two sections and tied them up high on my head in twin ponytails like Tessa's, a hairstyle I had not sported since I was small. I felt him clip the ribbons in with some sort of jeweled hairpiece, and then waited patiently as he evaluated it. He rose to his feet and walked in front of me, cupping my chin as he tilted my head from side to side. He finally decided that it was good, apparently, because he offered me the mirror. When I saw my reflection, I had to wonder who the girl in the mirror was. She looked like some foreign princess attending a masquerade.

Roran made me feel like a princess in those days. Always spoiling me and making me feel special. I never got to see his bad side, I never saw the dragon… That was Tessa's duty. Maybe that was why I guarded him so faithfully. His promises and whispers of love, his power over me… I became someone entirely and utterly evil, and it was all for him.


End file.
